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Passed the test (Post Ses 34)

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Wolfe

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Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« on: May 19, 2018, 01:14:26 PM »
Truth be told, Wolfe had been a little nervous when he'd walked up and offered his hand to be tested by the guards to see if he was a lycanthrope. He had trust in the Shogun's promise; the amulet around his neck had operated for twenty years, after all. But there had been a flicker of doubt when the device made strange sounds that caused the guards to pause. Afterward he'd felt ashamed he'd doubted the man who had given him a new life.

The whole trip to Lurkwood had felt like the final part of a long climb. For years he'd felt under a dark cloud, and he was just now starting to see light again. He went to the inn, paid for his room and a bath, and had paid a little extra for some parchment and a pen. It was starting to get later into the evening, but freshly cleaned and with some clean clothes he sat in the corner of the inn with a candle flickering above his work. Two letters sat sprawled out before him, the first fully written and he was starting to put the finishing touches on the second. His meal was hearty, but only half eaten on the plate beside him as he set the pen down as the shadow of a familiar figure approached him.

Looking up, a small smile came to the betusked Samurai, and he gestured to the other end of his table. "Hey. They let you look at that weird gadget they had at the gate?" He put his pen into the bottle of ink, gingerly setting it to brace it against the wall. He seemed a bit paranoid about the ink spilling over his project.

"Gotta say I'm happy things more or less worked out. I was scared that the Dragon was gonna be nuts. Turns out we lucked out -- if she was fucked up by the Spellplague we would have all been in serious trouble."

Wolfe paused as he looked to Cat for a long moment once she settled. "I appreciate you trusting me, Cat. You put a lot of faith in me. More than I deserved. I'm sorry if it felt like I was keeping anything from you."
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2018, 07:03:35 PM »
It looked as if everyone was heading towards the same tavern, though it looked like there was only one main one anyway!  After a bit of difficulty with the guards and their inept machine, Catriona would follow behind the others who were further ahead, to the establishment.  The disheveled doctor would cast curious gazes of the town, more distracted than the other members of the Watch at the actual layout of the place.  What made it such a prime target for the heinous experiments of a mad scientist?

It was, however, late in the evening and the day had been more than eventful.  Seeking out this professor person might be a good idea come sun up… but for now she secured a room, same as the others.  While she again had to make due with the relatively archaic (from her perspective) amenities, one of the perks of her alien powers was she did not have to bother with her bath needing externally heated water; a slow process.  #walkingjacuzzi 

With finally enough time and opportunity, she re-made herself presentable in the respects she was commonly comfortable with.  Looking out of sorts wore on her in a way most wouldn’t understand, and so there was a sense of relief as she appraised her reflection in her mirror.  Back again up to code. 

The room was uninteresting and though she was not hungry, she did want to look around some and work in a nosier atmosphere.

The doctor’s bespectacled gaze panned over the moderately lit tavern as the sounds and scents hit her senses.  Noticing Wolfe with ..documents… and no spirits… was unusual.  Then he smiled at her which was extra unusual. Her steps slowed and she shook her head at his question.  “I would try to see this town 'professor' in the morning, though.”

She tilted her head at his mention of being happy about how events played out.  Certainly they could have been worse.  He seemed to be inviting her over and so she continued to approach, demeanor still not quite confident as usual.  Smoothing her skirt some, the scientist sits on the bench, facing the suddenly literative samurai.  Part of her was hoping he was doing fancy calligraphy...

“I … sure…" she acquiesces, not particularly eager to accept credit for such a thing.   “It's only fair that if the Captain can ..uh.. find her brother, the same level of peril can be braved for you.”  Beat.  “Are you… documenting these events?”
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2018, 11:28:16 AM »
Wolfe gave a slow shake of his head as he turned to the documents, leaning over to blow softly on the parchment to dry the ink a little faster. "No. They're letters to my Shogun. I left Kara-Tur five years ago, and the last he heard from me was four years ago when I said I had lost Sera's trail. He had gotten a message to me that I was not to return until justice was done for my wife's death. My honor was in question."

Leaning back in his seat, he exhaled slowly while he looked at the words that were written in the symbols that made up the language of his home, she was right in her hunch that there was a precise calligraphy on the parchment rather than traditiona-looking words. He seemed somber then as he weighed the documents before him. "Kumiko, my wife, was the Shogun's niece. Part of the reason I came into his service was because I was in love with her." Wolfe's thought seemed to trail off to memory, and his fingers tapped idly on the table. Looking up after a moment, he turned to regard Cat again.

"Do you ever want to go back home again?" He asked her, seeming to shift the topic away to focus on her.
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2018, 01:54:50 PM »
As learned as she was in a many things, reading parchments upside down was not one of them, though it was not her place to read someone’s private correspondence anyway.  She only gave a cursory glance at the documents before lifting her gaze away from them, pretty as it was.  She briefly adjusted her glasses on her face as he explained some of the tumultuous saga that was previously hidden from everyone behind the facade of a drunk blowhard.

It was always evident to Catriona that such a persona wasn’t exactly a truth; probably subconsciously.  That was likely why she was not terribly quick to admonish as others were, despite constant opportunity.  There was some kind of instinctual recognition of one tragic soul from another, if such a thing existed. 

She nodded once in understand despite pondering a myriad of things. Her knowledge of Kara-Tur was more than most and it was a land and culture she found infinitely fascinating.  Learning about it through this strange and unorthodox way, be it in pieces was never something she expected.  There was certainly something to be said for experiential learning rather than studying books and librams.

“While I might...um... on occasion... dissent on methods, I will assist where I can to see your family’s honor restored. Easier to say that when I understand it all now, I think.”  she admitted.

His question about her going home had her gaze drift downwards in thought. “That is not quite possible.  There is nothing to go back to.”   Beat.  “So generally, I tend to look forward.  My mother used to tell me that ‘those who survive calamity owe a debt to those who did not, to live a life fulfilled.’  It means more now than it did when she used to say it, I suppose.  Then again, my mom was not the most logical person.” Catriona shrugs slightly and picks at a loose splinter of wood from the edge of the table. 

“I study the spellplague to understand what happened, not to undo Lantan's fall… but to add to the knowledge-base of society.  Perhaps the next disaster can be averted.” The last bit looks to be an admission of the core of her drive, not just rote curiosity (though certainly, that is an element of her personality).
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 08:25:02 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2018, 12:55:17 PM »
"I appreciate that. Though... truth be told, it's hard to think of me and Sera as family anymore." Wolfe frowned as he considered back to the matter that saw their division in the first place and he leaned back in his seat. He didn't dig into it, just then. Instead he focused on Cat's words. The fact that her homeland was pretty much just gone was no doubt its own hardship. The loss of family, friends, people she respected, and the culture she had known. She had expressed that there had been some bullying back home, but even Wolfe wouldn't want his homeland razed because of some crass comments made about his green skin and tusks.

"A Samurai of the mind, as it were." A small smile came behind his beard, as he nodded to her. "I was taught at a young age that I was stronger than others. My Shogun taught me that the strength I had was a gift, when I'd grown up thinking it was a curse. He said that to use my blade to defend others who could not do so for themselves was a great honor -- to find an outlet for my gifts that improved the lives of others.

I was wrong about you." He said to her after a solemn moment. He leaned forward to her, and his eyes focused on hers in a way that might have been uncomfortable. "When we met. I said you were a fool.

You've helped me find myself again, Cat. Maybe that would not have meant much to your family -- but these last couple months, no-one can deny that you're a hero out here. You've saved a lot of people in these lands, including me."

To break that moment of seriousness, the Half-Orc issued a small laugh. "I've not had a drink since we left Neverwinter. I didn't want to lose focus when we were on Sera's trail. I didn't warn Westra or Zimran about the Werewolves because, honestly, I thought they would kill her once they found out who and what she was. I've been walkin' along for the last few days worryin' about whether I was going to have to worry about killing my daughter or one of the Watch.

I think I'm safe with one beer. You want one?" He gestured to her, then up toward the bar. "Share a drink with me, tell me about your family?"
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2018, 03:37:28 PM »
The doctor cannot help but, for just a moment, grin an honest and dorkish grin at the being called such a thing. It was certainly a unique thing to her, particularly when it was directed at her, who didn’t exactly feel like she was up to par with the seasoned fearless warrior types. 

She did not interrupt him, mainly just listening given that it wasn’t usual to hear Wolfe speak this much or at length without dropping abrasive swearing or random threats to someone.  It worked well, too, as she was not an artful conversationalist by any stretch. 

When he addressed calling her a fool, she looked up back at him not sure where that was going.  Her youthful countenance had its eyebrows push together as she considered his more thoughtful words.  She was shit at suppressing her facial expressions and so exuded a range of silent affectations. Some were indications of bashfulness, others of earnest attention, and finally modesty. 

“I don’t know if all that is accurate, but… umm.. thanks for saying it.” she finally says, lips forming a line as she looks down at her hands, fidgeting with a ring to diffuse nervous energy.

“I did notice that.  I ..um.. figured it might have been bothersome if I brought it up.”  Beat.  “Oh.. I would like to think that everyone would just defer to you on her final fate as she is your kin.  Though, maybe that concern holds more merit than I assume, given how rapidly matters escalate into violence.” Catriona shrugs slightly.  “Actually, I still think that from what I have seen… no one would just slay your kin without your input on the matter.”  She was probably being more optimistic and generous than most would be. 

She somewhat stammers slightly, attempting to find words.  “I.. am not really, not really a “drink” person. You are of course ..um welcome to. ”  She slowly crosses her arms over her chest loosely.  “My family? Like my parents?”
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 08:25:41 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2018, 04:15:09 PM »
"Maybe they wouldn't. They didn't seem to care a lot about my opinion or my dignity when they were parading me around Neverwinter like a chained beast. I got a good eyeful of what Westra and Zimran think of me. Neverember has condemned the demi-humans in Neverwinter to death, and Westra has said more than once she's loyal to him. So I went with safe, rather than sorry." Perhaps it would come across as bitter, but Wolfe had taken the actions of those around him gravely when considering the weight of their spirits. Cat had proven loyal and to have good intentions. Zimran was gone. Westra still had one foot solidly in the domain of trustworthy, and the other in someone to be not worth that trust; at least in Wolfe's eyes.

"We'll see. I'm willing to give her the chance for now."

Cat seemed offput by the suggestion they share a drink, and Wolfe gave a shrug. "It's fine. If you're not going to, I'll pass too. It's just something that I did back home -- after a battle, share a drink with the people you shared the battlefield with. Your fellow warriors; those who shed bled together with you. But it's my ceremony, and it's not that important.

Your parents, yeah. Do you have siblings, too? I don't think I've asked."
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #7 on: May 22, 2018, 04:49:58 PM »
Catriona was not surprised to hear him bring up the Neverwinter incident again.  She possessed a broad understanding of honor, in the way the Kara-Tur people took it.  Not just the knights, but the families from lord to serf.  Attached to that was a strong aversion to shame and often that was worse than death.  In all likelihood, the others had no idea of reality.   Humans were rather self centered as a general rule, she found. More reason to have some kind of unspoken understanding…

She sat up slightly, back straightening as she tried to explain herself without sounding lame. Especially given with how much gusto he explained matters around a drink with allies.  It wasn’t a singular custom, rather widespread against those of warrior’s ilk.  “I just haven’t… It's not something I’ve really tried.” she just blurts out in admission.

“And after my incident, I assume it might be dangerous if I partake…” she starts to explain, though it sounds just as much as a possible excuse as it does a viable concern. "...in mind altering substances.”  In her awkward defense of herself, attempting to still maintain whatever Coolness she’s earned, she doesn’t get to shift gears enough to go into his family question.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 08:26:16 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #8 on: May 22, 2018, 04:58:19 PM »
Wolfe had to spare a small little smile at Cat's worries over getting some drinks in her. The inexperience factor was understandable (and helped maintain the thought that she was rather young -- though he'd never call her 'Kid' again), and he motioned for a waitress to come over.

"One beer, please. The frutier the better."

He turned back to Cat with a shrug. "You and I can share one. You won't get more than a small little buzz from it, I promise. Ritual met and you get to tip-toe into a fine field of beverages to have with your meals."

When the waitress returned she set a large frothy, apple smelling beer in front of him and Wolfe gestured for Cat to take the first sip if she wanted.

"So, your family?"
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2018, 06:31:46 PM »
The platinum blonde settled some as the server came over.  She did, however, make a face a this talk of “fruity beer”.  That didn’t sound like anything she’d heard of and for a moment she would wonder if it was something from his home country that  wasn’t well known. 

She nodded after a beat, seemingly having to somewhat be convinced a minor degree.  In order to take some agency in this whole situation, she decided to give a random factoid… as her intelligence was the main thing she could find steady confidence in.  “It's not like.. um.. they don’t have beer where I am from.  Craft breweries was a booming business, particularly with the gnomish community.  It is just another avenue of experimentation.  The academy was rumored to have one in the sub-basement.” . *insert Reading Rainbow fanfare tune

When it arrived, she took a second to notice that he wanted her to try it first.  She gave a demure nod to the server in acknowledgement, then looked back at the brew and shrugged to herself.  She grasped it with one hand.  “I don’t have siblings that I know of. My parents weren’t married, so I am illegitimate.  Both had other goals in life, really, neither of which I was a substantial part of.”

Lifting the flagon, she took a gulp (that looked awkward) and put it back down between them.  Wiping some of the froth on her lips  away with the side of her hand, she made a peculiar expression as she processed the flavor.  “I've only spoken to him twice.  He was a politician;  part of the governing Council of Lantan.”  She looks over at him.  “Kind of like a Shogun… if there were a 12 of them.”  Then not all that much like a Shogun, maybe!

“My mother, she’s a elven botanist and priestess of Sharess.  Very devout.”  she adds the last bit with a touch of exasperation, if not just shy of an eyeroll.  “Free spirit sort that would leave Lantan for extended stretches of time, so I lived at school all my life there. Every 3 or 4 years she would return and maybe bring me some exotic plant to study before setting off again on some romantic excursion.”  Beat.  “Mother doesn’t quite perceive time the same as I do.” A tale as old as time, an elf not properly relating to those with shorter life spans.

Catriona seemed to daze off briefly. “She was also a very graphic storyteller. Unnecessarily so.” she says, making a face and taking another swig of the beer wholly unprompted.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2018, 08:27:04 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2018, 06:40:41 PM »
Noticing that Cat was starting to lay claim to the beer on her own, he subtly gestured for another for himself to the waitress who was used to this sort of not-so-sly technique. Older guy, younger woman, he's a dog (literally! haha), she's a Half-Elf, it made sense. "Huh. So your father was a politician? Is he still around? Did you two not get along?" Being the father in his own strained relationship with his child, he was notably interested in that relationship.

"Sorry to hear about your parents. It's shitty they weren't in your life more. My own weren't really part of mine. I tried to be different for Sera and Kumiko." For as much as that wound may have seemed to still linger, he handled it with some aplomb as the waitress brought another drink over for Wolfe. 'Let me know if you want another, suga', the waitress said in good nature before leaving them to it.

A slow smile came across Wolfe's face, perhaps a little too amused about her retelling about her mother. "I take it your mom overshared a lot? Have you talked to her since the Spellplague?"
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2018, 07:20:17 PM »
She shook her head and brushed her hair behind a slightly pointed ear.  “It was not like that.  He was a council member and had a reputation.  He used a third party to provide a substantial grant to the the academy so that I could live there.  Other than a singular foolish attempt at a confrontation in my teenage years that lasted all but five minutes, I only again saw him when I received my second doctorate.  He was an honorary speaker at the ceremony.”   Beat.  “He didn’t treat me any different than any other graduate, though.  I knew then to let it go.”

“I assume he is gone, I don’t know.  I don’t know how much of the Council survived.” she says with a shrug, both hands wrapping around the flagon.  “He isn’t someone like you, Mister Wolfe.  He wouldn’t go even a fraction of all this trouble you are willing to brave."

“It is fine. The situation makes me a better scientist, I think. I don’t have as many distractions.” she said with brave face.

“She was the opposite of me…very intuitive and not shy in the least.  Mother’s was very liberal with her stories. She was popular with my classmates, though I typically found it embarrassing. Unfortunately, her goodwill with my peers did not remain when she would go on her sojourns."  Catriona makes a nonplussed smirk at the last bit, truly incapable of suppressing true sentiment in her facial expressions.

"Mother could be anywhere.  She may not even know Lantan is gone. Last time I saw her was years ago, I was still a teenager; still, she isn’t a awful person or anything.  Just not very reliable.  Maybe I will run into her again someday, but she is who she is and I had to learn to accept that.”  She shrugs, seemingly having come to terms with that kind of wild parent.  “She is probably having a better time than most of us.”

After taking a ginger sip from the flagon, she notices his expression.  “Why are you smiling?”
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 07:49:05 AM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2018, 07:31:21 PM »
Wolfe's brow furrowed when Cat described her father and how he had treated her. To Wolfe it sounded awful, as he had taken a great amount of responsibility in Sera's upbringing. Everything she described was the opposite of what Wolfe had tried to model himself as a father. She said that her father wasn't like him, but that too caught him for a moment of ill-thought.

But he didn't curse his daughter with Lycanthropy. He's not the one who condemned his daughter to become a monster, and caused the death of his own wife.

Wolfe did not share those ill-thoughts that plagued him, however, and he was quiet as he heard Cat shrug it off. I don't have as many distractions, she said, and that felt like a sad thing to categorize it as. "Family shouldn't be thought of, that way. But that's not on you. Just.. the people you care about aren't around forever. It's important to remember that."

He took a long drink of his beer, enough to put some warmth in himself, and he set it down as he shifted himself from the topic that could easily force him toward a downward spiral again to something more light-hearted. "I hope that you do. Maybe she's not what you'd like, but I can't imagine she didn't love you. Elves -- well, the Shogun's an Elf. Their lifespan's a lot different, they look at things different. I learned to figure that out with Kumiko.

And I'm smiling cause you're talking. It's nice to hear you talk about yourself, to see you be yourself more relaxed. We're usually runnin around bickerin at each-other, or getting shot at or stuff's trying to kill us. Not often we get to sit and just enjoy us being us, y'know?"
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2018, 10:16:38 AM »
Catriona did not give the impression that she found his notions on what family should be all that compelling.  How truly likely would it be that he could in one short conversation turn around years upon years of opposing opinion.  She never seemed like someone with strong ties to anything but her creations, and even in mixed company, she just did not fit in well.  Certainly, she showed more and more effort as time went on, but on the social front… there was much work to do.

To that fact, she did not answer his statement on family one way or the other, simply just absorbing it.

Hearing that his shogun was Elvish had her look up with some degree of surprise, along with his experience with them in general in Kara Tur.  There was an aspect that she was foggy on;  Elves were secretive in seemingly every society, if not just plain enigmatic.    Still, she would do well to understand them more given her own blood.

“It sounds as if you have more exposure to elves than I do.  Lantan had barely any;  mainly gnomes and humans.  It was challenging to be the only half-elf most people knew.  I ... am sure you dealt with worse. I don’t really remember much in the way of kindness even in such an enlightened place.”  Taking another draught from the mug, she still looked kind of awkward with it to a degree.

Some degree of bashfulness passes over her countenance once more, though she remarks, “I am just an unexciting  scientist, studying matters as we progress.  I assure you that it is not as exciting as warriorship and knights and all that.  Most things I have to say are probably dull and esoteric.”  Beat. The doc looked into her flagon thoughtfully. “I suppose my alien elemental abilities are helpful in certain conflicts, but… I didn’t seek these powers out like how you or Captain Goldbrook train with your weapons and armor.” 

For whatever reason, be it some inferiority complex or what have you, she did not seem to embrace her powers fully yet, the way the others embraced their own combat ability.  There was also that element of her finding fascination with the exotic martial deftness of Wolfe or the aggressive battle-confidence of Westra.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 10:24:00 AM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2018, 05:04:33 PM »
"Well, people in general are different here than in Kara Tur. The Elves I've met out here don't really care for me or what I look like, heh. It wasn't all roses back there but.. once I earned my place among the Shogun's samurai life was better. It was a lot of work but was worth it in the end." There was a strong note of pride in the way Wolfe spoke of his former position in life, something that had been absent save when referencing the arms of his homeland that he carried with him to this day. He had treated the weapons with special reverance: He cleaned them even if he himself was left soiled, made sure that after every battle they were cleaned and sharpened, and did not see them exposed to the elements.

He finally turned to his drink and packed a good portion of it away as he set the mug down to take in a slow breath that helped prevent a belch. "Seems to me that you're some sort of mental wizard -- someone with some repressed problems if those dark shadows of yourself come out, talkin the way they do. You could probably do with hitting things from time to time to get the aggression out, heh.

But just because you didn't look for it, doesn't mean it doesn't belong to you. Your intelligence and your psychic powers are just like my sword -- they need to be sharpened, cared for, and maintained. The deadliest warriors are the smartest ones, Cat."

Wolfe leaned back in his seat as he picked up his mug again, smiling at her with a toothy grin as he toasted toward her. "And make no fuckin' mistake, you're a warrior too."
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2018, 01:27:02 PM »
Having had to make her place every step of the way in her society, she silently wished there was some code or way of the warrior she could have undertook and had faith in.  Wolfe was able to not only do that but keep it with him even when leagues away from his homeland.  It all only served to have her wonder how they all could be so confident.

Somehow in the course of listening to his opinion, it turns out the draught she just finishes taking is the final one. First beer ever 1/1.

“I wish all that were true and deserved. But I’m not a wizard… I’m an accident.” she said, in soft tone.  “This is not something I can be mentored on or research in a library.  I tried to make something to the betterment of society and it backfired.” Beat.  “The reason I said we are similar is because I kind of have to...  contain it all. Some elemental force that I worry might be dangerous to others.  There are many side effects I have to manage… like those… shadow-harpies…personality shifts and other ..um..bothers.” It was as if she was wary of her own powers; learning to wield them without any tutelage, on her own.  And she had been considering that to him keeping a werewolf locked away inside.

“Know why I wear these?” She points at her spectacles.   “Because without them, my vision picks up all manner of visual noise… energy that is normally invisible.”  She removes them, making a point.  “Oh.. wait a second….its not so bad now.”

Her mood shifts to one of lighter wonderment.  “It isn’t exactly normal but it’s much less... intense. “  Catriona looks at her hand  in front of her face then without warning grabs Wolfe’s wrist with enthusiasm. “I think we’ve stumbled upon a discovery! I always thought alcohol would weaken whatever grip I have on this well of power I contain… I may have been wrong all this time.”   She realizes she sounds a little crazy and lets his arm go.

“It would make sense to study this further, yes?” Before he can properly interject into her flurry, she holds up two fingers to the server.  The platinum blonde woman keeps her glasses off and shifts in her seat with some antsiness.  “I wonder if it is just beer or spirits in general.  Or is it relaxation.. I don’t know if you know this, but I am not a very relaxed person.”
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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2018, 04:03:32 PM »
"I'm sure nobody planned to have a Half-Orc baby, Cat. Sometimes we all turn into something we don't expect. We make use of the tools we're given; like you've done so far. But your heroics aren't accidental. They're purposeful: The result of what you set out to do.

Sometimes we have to forge our own path. But I believe that you'll find the right one." He watched as she took off her glasses, and when she says it isn't so bad he blinks in surprise. Suddenly he's given a glimpse of Happy Cat, and he actually smiles in response to that. He'd rarely seen her so effusive and in a good mood, and a she reached out to grab his hand he accepts it without pause or bother.

"It would make sense -- at least to me, heh." He doesn't stop her from ordering more drinks, and adds one for himself (as he assumed they were both for her -- and if they weren't, they are now). "I can tell you're not usually relaxed. But it's good that you are now.

So, tell me about the personality shifts -- the other side effects. What do you feel you need to keep in check all the time?" As more alcohol was brought to their table Wolfe took to his drink with some cheer. He'd been drinking to drown his own misery for a long time, it was nice to be able to enjoy their spirits for a good reason for a change.
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2018, 06:19:11 PM »
The woman made a an incredulous expression to Wolfe as he presented this strange optimistic side , but that was short lived.  A quirky cant of her head was her response to his saying it made sense to him, then a weird pseudo-laugh.

“Accidental scientific discovery is called Serendipity… if this turns out to be some sort of breakthrough, you were a part of of that if not the catalyst.” She would certainly have been doing something else had she not run into him at all.  It was a nerdy point of fact, though she probably expected him to think it was a bigger deal to be part of some strange discovery than someone like him probably would imagine. 

As the second round came, she thanked the server and quickly took to one of the flagons, parsing his question in her mind and how to explain it.  “I have tried to maintain a balance, equilibrium,  of the cosmic energies in me.  Certain ways I use my powers draw on aspects of my personality and intensify them.  At least, that is how it I have found them to be.” 


“It is like when you would call someone with a fiery temper or a cold disposition.  It is like that for me but actually real. The more I use a certain energy, the more it affects my personality for a time.   The dopplegangers are the darkest parts of my mind.  I am not evil, so I can control them well enough.” The concept in general wasn’t all that complex, though one could only guess what kind of quirks the other powers did to her personality.

“If I become more inebriated, perhaps ..umm.. I can relax enough to try something new.  That might be helpful to the group.” She takes a more enthusiastic, several gulps long draught from the flagon.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2018, 02:32:19 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2018, 07:02:07 PM »
"Serendipity. I met a Gnome named that once in Neverwinter, I suppose it makes sense that's why she was called that." Wolfe nodded along as he added that term into his own vocabulary. While he was no scholar, he had proven to be a bit more well-read than most would assume.

He took his time with his drink while Cat was a bit more eager in her imbibing of the relaxing agent. He settled his weight more evenly to be relaxed and considered her as she spoke of her powers and how they came from different parts of her personality. "That makes sense to me. Your a.. mystic.. a psychic or something. So just as my strength comes from within, so does yours. It's interesting the parts of you come out in different ways.

It would make sense for you to become more comfortable with them -- see them not as hidden cards to play when you need to, just a different side of a coin as it were. You just use the side you need most. The more you get to know that part of you, the easier it'd be to summon, I'd think.

That way -- when you're using the energy it's not affecting you, but rather, you're affecting it. Just more practice and maybe a different way of looking at it. Mastery of the mind will bring its own discipline."

He watched her nearly down the flagon like some sort of college girl intent on a bender, and he lifted a hand. "Don't overdo it. You're going to regret it in the morning if you go too hard too fast."
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2018, 03:03:59 PM »
Of what she knew of the knights from the countries of Kara-Tur, they were well disciplined in a way most other martial warriors were.  There was more culture to their Way, as it were, or so she understood from historical texts.  Certainly, that lended to the idea of some manner of inner strength that came from honor and will than just physicality.  Yet, developing that rich talent set and way of life was done through teachers or tutors.  There was a code; structures in place to help one along the path.

Catriona puffs her cheeks, as if suppressing a burp.  “That all sounds rather… difficult.  We Lantanese are not known for our um… honest introspection. We don’t learn the brand of self discipline and self knowledge that you and your countrymen do.” What Wolfe was suggesting was actually the first she's heard of that advice for her condition.  All signs to this moment have shown her trying to control her internal issues with external solutions, like the devices that channeled her powers, the bracer with all the dials that regulated her equilibrium, the glasses, etc. 

“I’ve only had these strange abilities for a short while. The first thing they did is put me in a warded cage for observed quarantine.”  The doctor admitted.  “After a few months, the Spellplague’s full wrath bore down on the islands, so I was able to leave when the power to the cage failed.”   There wasn't an opportunity to learn control or discipline in a stable environment;  it was likely a surprise she'd gotten this far being this unstable creature.  It was also surprising no one had been enterprising enough to have taken advantage of this possible weapon yet.

As unpleasant as that all sounded, her disposition was held buoyant by the beer in her system, giving her a facial expression that did not come off as too dour.  “So, in a way…”

She leans in all close and clandestine for the next part, nearly having her chin touch the table top. In the most unintentionally loud whisper you can imagine, she confesses, “I am kind of like an outlaw.” 

When he lifted his hand to give advice on taking a measured approach to the libation, she sat back up.  “Now you are just quoting my mother.”  The off-hand remark probably took a beat to land and be seen for its ribald nature.  Then she moved to the second flagon.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2018, 03:08:27 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Wolfe

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #20 on: May 29, 2018, 04:29:35 PM »
"So it didn't come from the Spellplague?" Wolfe asked with interest as he followed along with her tale. The fact she was caged brought a furrowing of his brow and a displeased look to him as he held his drink before his face, sipping lightly from it. For now he was nursing the alcohol, rather than trying to get shit-faced in the moment.

However that look of displeasure, and a segue to a growling comment about how backward her people were was suppressed by the way she conspiratorially told him she was a criminal in her own fashion. He didn't move to stop her from drinking, grinning as he was.

"Well, sorry, old habits die hard when it comes to being protective and parental. But, you're an adult." He lifted his hands in surrender, his smile widening. "You're free to do what you want -- and embrace the consequences.

Speaking of.." He lowered his hands but took a measured drink, giving some dramatic weight to the pause before he set the mug down. "You are more than what you were. Your country, your race, the labels they gave you -- they don't define you. If such things did, I'd be an illiterate thug. A bandit or some hired muscle. Instead?

I fought with honor and diginity. I earned my blade, my wife, my daughter. I am saddened by Sera and what has happened to her, but I do not look back on my life with regrets."

His eyes turned toward the letters he had written, contemplating them. "It took some time and perspective to understand that and appreciate it. Traveling with all of you has helped me see things better."

The Half-Orc suddenly turned his full attention to Cat, and he reached across the table to take her hand into his own and give it a gentle squeeze. "You are a brilliant woman, Cat. This gift you have, it can be made to do great things. Be honest to yourself, and your abilities will not lead you astray. That I'm sure of"
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #21 on: May 30, 2018, 01:59:23 AM »
“In part.  I was working on uh... my life's work.. Well, it was that at the time.” About her nose and ears, her complexion begins to gradually and lightly redden.  “A new and efficient fuel core for machines, made from elementals. I was trying to make a star.. Like the sun!”  Beat. “That would have shown them all that I had a place on the Academy Board.” she riffs.

“The Spellplague did not hit all at once, it was more gradual in how it affected Lantan.  My experiment was just one of the ones very sensitive to the early signs, reacting badly.”  The doctor pantomimes with her hands and with a sound from her mouth that was obviously an explosion.  “At the time, everyone just called me reckless…” 

Lifting that second mug, she drinks as he speaks.

“I want to.. to.. get to that level of confidence.  I don’t know how you or Captain Goldbrook do it… you don’t even care if people like you.” Awkward beat, followed by the most random hiccup on her part. “I mean.. I do, but I mean.. You know what I mean. I think.” 

An exaggerated nod of her head in some manner of agreement preceded, “Yes, this whole journey is an expedited path to ..um. some enlightenment.”  Otherwise she would have still maybe been looking around the runes near Phandalin.

Her loose demeanor sobers slightly when he takes her and and speaks about her intelligence.  The reddened extremities are joined by her cheeks joining in with bashfulness, as she took a very attentive mien in the moment.“Its ..unusual for someone to have faith in me." Beat.  Her eyes lower so and she looks somewhat self conscious. “This means if I one day explode in a supernova, I can blame you for the ..um.. encouragement.”
« Last Edit: May 30, 2018, 01:55:08 PM by Doctor Catriona Wicker »
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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #22 on: May 30, 2018, 02:13:35 PM »
Wolfe was still holding Cat's hand, considering her for a long moment as she spoke of the past that she'd left behind. It sounded like it was difficult in its own right, and the parallels between them seemed to come up again. She stated her admiration for him, and that seemed like an odd thing to the Half-Orc, and his brow furrowed in thought. "I care. Just.. not about most people's opinions. My Shogun, my friends, my daughter. Those are people who's opinion of me I care about. Your opinion of me matters to me, Cat.

...And I don't know what a superno-va is. But.. I'm sure if you explode at any point it'd be quite the sight. You're usually pretty reserved." He took his hand away from hers then as he leaned back in his seat, then finished his drink off with one long biker-like draught.

Exhaling slowly and suppressing a burp, the Half-Orc set his mug down and considered another. "You're not reckless. Maybe you were before everything, but you seem to always take things with a measured approach. You think before you do things. I'm the opposite. Half the time I get an idea into my head, I'd just rather do it. Action over inaction. If there's consequences, you handle them. It's probably the Orc in me -- I can't stand to sit around and not do anything for long.

It's funny, though, right?" He gestured for another, as he was only starting to get a buzz. That tolerance. "You and I, we're both half-breeds. We're always going to get identified for one half of us, not the whole self.

We're a lot more than just whatever we're labeled. No-one ever sees the spirit beneath the skin." That was more philosophical and thoughtful than he normally was. Maybe it was their talk of the past and their present, of who they were versus who they wanted to be, and his ruminations of the past.

"Most of my youth, I was hated. Just called 'Orc'. Not even my name. It still boils my blood now. Heh. As you know." He nodded to her in acknowledgement of their travels together. He paused in thought as another ale was brought to him. He drank to give himself time to think and to start to enjoy his buzz. A thought came to him, and he leaned a bit closer to her, somewhat conspiratorially. "Can I ask you somethin personal?" Cat answered in the affirmative, and Wolfe nodded.

"You ever been in love?"
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Doctor Catriona Wicker

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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #23 on: May 30, 2018, 06:52:26 PM »
“Its uh… superluminous explosion of a sun when it collapses on itself in death.  Unimaginably dangerous, but quite visually spectacular.”   she starts, with a geekish demeanor, though she steers away from the tangent. “But I understand, you care when it is it is people you find important… I guess, though I appreciate that you think I am important enough.”

One of her hands swept some displaced straight locks behind partially pointed ear as she resettled in her seat with a minor slouch.  That was also short lived as she fidgets some to sit properly; it wasn’t as if she was every someone who came across totally cool and chill in her own skin. 

His impetuosity had been well documented, particularly when it came to matters of violent conflict, same as Captain Goldbrook.  What he was telling her was not shocking news and certainly she was often left standing confused as to how things escalate so fast.  “I get that way if i over-invoke an abundance of fire...”  The statement was almost a combination of  sympathizing with his penchant for zeal, as well as deprication to illustrate that she was not some stoic wisewoman.

Lips pursed briefly as she listened to his explanation on the experience of being a halfblood.  Surely he got it worse, but she knew it well… elves called her human.  Humans called her an elf.  Gnomes called her more eccentric things, though equally irritating.  “I did notice this.  I haven’t understood it really... You don’t look like an orc to me...  Just Mister Wolfe...or Wolfe-sama...I think?” she admitted almost with a childlike sincerity, even the respect-heavy honorific.

The doctor rubbed her right eye a little, then picked up her glasses, contemplating them.  Wolfe’s strange question, however, was something that caught her off guard and she put them on rather quickly.  As if the spectacles were some kind of device or figurative armor that would offset the self consciousness she felt with his out of the blue query.

“Uh.. um.. No, I don’t think so…”  Where he was going with this, she had no idea.
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Re: Passed the test (Post Ses 34)
« Reply #24 on: May 30, 2018, 07:57:52 PM »
Wolfe seemed a bit lost in what Cat was saying about stellar phenomena. It wasn't that he was stupid, but he was certainly ignorant when it came to astronomy and the far more advanced sciences. He'd proven capable of being literate to some of her ideas and a slew of more world-savvy topics, but this one was a bit beyond his grasp. "Sounds like it. You've seen one? Hopefully that doesn't happen to ours. Sounds like it'd be worse than the Spellplague." He didn't quite understand all of the ramifications of that, but it sounded like something to avoid.

Cat called him Mister Wolfe and then Wolfe-sama, and it caused a deep grin to spread behind his beard, poking his tusks up some like small bony thumbs up. "That's exactly right. But, you wouldn't hear someone call me 'Wolfe-sama' back at home. I picked that name up here, on Faerun.

But.. that doesn't really matter. I left the name behind when I came out here. And I appreciate you see me as I am, Cat. Hopefully you think I look at you the same." The Samurai leaned back in his seat again, and he cupped his hands around the base of the flagon that had his new brew. He considered it as there was a notable shift in mood. Cat drawing on her glasses again were just a reflection of that, really.

"When Sera had killed Kumiko, two of the people I loved died that day. My wife, whom I had spent the last twenty years with through hardship, arguments, laughter, and raising a child was gone. She was my partner and my best friend. She knew me in ways no-one else ever will again. And she was just..." His emotions swelled there, and he strangled them silent as he spoke to get through the pain of the thought. "She tried to tell me in those last few moments to forgive Sera. That she was my daughter. That we loved her.

And in my head, I know it's not her fault. I know she's not the one responsible. That I am, but.." He closed his head, and he slowly shook his head as his voice quieted from the normal strong, surly edge he usually carried to something far more vulnerable and genuine. "I never have.

I want to believe that I will, when I see her again." He opened his eyes and looked down at the mug. "But it's hard. Even thinking of it now, I get twisted up. A lot of anger. And grief. And guilt. I lost everything I had been living for that day. Ever since I put Kumiko in the ground I've just been a corpse that's walking around this world, no better than some revenant. Just a body to carry out my duty."

He was silent for a beat, his eyes on his drink.

"I don't know what I'm going to do when I find her." He said at last, the words a struggle. "And I'm afraid of making the wrong choice."

Unable to handle those words with a dry tongue, he instead lifted his flagon to his lips and took a slow, heavy drink.

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